This is different than
Android Auto, the software that allows you to plug your phone
into a car and basically control your phone through the car's
built-in display.

In this case, Google has actually integrated Android directly
into the car, so that you can do everything from accessing
car-friendly apps like Spotify and Google Maps to controlling car
settings like air conditioning.

It's also an extension of Google Assistant, the voice-powered
digital helper that's Google's answer to Apple Siri. With
Assistant in your car, you can use your voice to do things like
adjust your seat, pick music tracks, or make a phone call.

In some cases, this feels like overkill - Is it really easier to
tell your car to lower the air conditioning than to just
turn a knob? But for things like navigation, phone calls, and the
like, having a virtual assistant as your copilot could be
helpful.

We sat inside a new Volvo V90 running Android on its infotainment
system. Here's a quick look at how it all works:

This is the Volvo V90. It'll be one of the first cars to come with Android. The car has built-in LTE wireless connectivity to power the Android system.

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Steve Kovach/Business Insider

This is the infotainment system's main screen running Android. It's been modified to match Volvo's design. Here, you see a list of contacts you can call on the touchscreen.

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Steve Kovach/Business Insider

You can also run third-party apps like Spotify, Pandora, and podcast apps.

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Steve Kovach/Business Insider

It also has all the controls you'd expect in a car from seat adjustments to air conditioning.

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Steve Kovach/Business Insider

Here's what it looks like when you're listening to a podcast or music.

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Steve Kovach/Business Insider

Google Maps is built right in. We were sitting in the back seat during the demo so we weren't able to test how well things like pinch to zoom work on the in-dash display. But it looked like the same version of Maps you're used to using on your phone.

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Steve Kovach/Business Insider

Google Maps also gives you turn-by-turn directions for navigation.

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Steve Kovach/Business Insider

But the real magic comes from Google Assistant. When you say the key phrase "Okay, Google," Assistant launches and responds to your commands.

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Steve Kovach/Business Insider

That gray bar at the top of the screen means Google Assistant is
listening to you.

You can use Assistant to adjust the AC, choose a song, make a call, get directions, and just about anything else you'd expect to do in a car.

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Steve Kovach/Business Insider

Android won't start showing up in cars until later this year. Audi and Volvo will be the first.

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Steve Kovach/Business Insider

It's still early days for tech companies to take over cars. Many
cars are also compatible with Apple's CarPlay or Android Auto,
which let you plug your smartphone into the vehicle's USB port
and light up the infotainment system with services from iOS or
Android.

But this is the first time we've seen a major mobile operating
system running natively in a car like this. You don't even need a
phone. It's also just one more way Google is injecting Google
Assistant into every gadget you use.